Background: An adequate diet contributes to health and wellbeing in older age. This is nowadays more important than ever since in industrialised countries the elderly population is growing continually. However, information regarding the consumption behaviour of older persons in Switzerland is limited. Objective: The objective of this investigation was to explore how middle-aged and elderly Swis...

OBJECTIVE To describe epidemiologic features of pet evacuation failure after a hazardous chemical spill in which residents had no warning and only a few hours notice to evacuate. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SAMPLE POPULATION Pet-owning households that evacuated from a hazardous chemical spill with (n = 119) or without (122) their pets. Procedures-Evacuees were surveyed by mail. RESULTS ...

BACKGROUND Due to increased interest in animal welfare, there is now a need for a comprehensive assessment protocol to be used in intensive pig farming systems. There are two current welfare assessment protocols for pigs: Welfare Quality® Assessment Protocols (applicable in the Europe Union), that mostly focuses on animal-based measures, and the Swine Welfare Assurance Program (applicable in th...

Efforts to refine the care and use of animals in research have been ongoing for many years and have led to general standardization of rodent models, particularly with regard to animal housing, genetics, and health status. Concurrently, numerous informal practices and recommendations have been promulgated with the laudable intent of promoting general animal wellbeing through so-called enrichmen...

The notion of "health" as the absence of disease has been replaced by a more holistic view based on the concept of "total wellbeing" and its interrelated physiological, psychological, and social components. This approach has radically changed biomedical research, both in terms of experimental methodology and in addressing ethical issues such as animal welfare. The present work focuses on the en...

To determine the impact of pet ownership on human health and well-being, a 10-month prospective study was carried out which investigated changes in behaviour and health status in 71 adult subjects following the acquisition of a new pet (either a dog or a cat). A non-matching control group of 26 subjects without pets served as a comparison over the same period. The control group exhibited no sta...

Attachment to pets has an important role in children's social, emotional, and cognitive development, mental health, well-being, and quality of life. This study examined associations between childhood attachment to pets and caring and friendship behaviour, compassion, and attitudes towards animals. This study also examined socio-demographic differences, particularly pet ownership and pet type. A...

81 T he overarching theme of this issue of the ILAR Journal is the neural control of social behavior. In the introduction, Scott Wersinger observes that animal behavior is diverse both across species and among members of the same species, but that there are common characteristics that defi ne social behaviors. Based on his insights and those of the other articles in this issue, I identify chall...

In general, codes that have been designed to safeguard the welfare of animals emphasize the importance of providing an environment that will ensure good health and a normal physiological and physical state, that is, they emphasize the animals' physical needs. If mental needs are mentioned, they are always relegated to secondary importance. The argument is put forward here that animal welfare is...